Pandora's Comet
by Mountain King
Summary: As the Enterprise engages in a last minute gamble to save a doomed world they find a sleeping evil that is beyond anything they have faced before. Only a wandering surviver from a long dead race can help. A Dr Who crossover
1. Teaser

Pandora's Comet.  
Introduction

Most of you reading this won't know of my other stories as this is my first and probably only story in this section. But don't worry this is not my first, I've already made all of those mistakes. That just leaves the new ones I have to make. Just about every story I write is a crossover of one kind or another. This, however, is the first that does not use any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

With more time on my hands I've already gone through my Star Trek Next Gen collection and decided to move on to Dr Who. You can guess the rest. Now with my new computer and a brand new broadband connection, with thanks to the Roswell crash and Geomex (if you didn't get that you need to see the new Dr Who) I'm back on the net and posting this.

Disclaimer  
Star Trek the Next Generation belongs to Paramount/Viacom.(Set between "All Good Things", season seven, and the movie "Star Trek: Generations")  
Doctor Who belongs to the BBC (set somewhere in the 2006 season with Tennent and Piper)

* * *

Teaser

Picard looked at the image on his monitor before changing it to something less disturbing. 'Captain's Log supplemental: After reviewing the information sent I am concerned that the Enterprise will be unable to effect the comet as Starfleet hopes. Whatever we can do will have to be enough until the fleet arrives.' He switched off the log and straitened his shirt.

Leaving the ready room he saw Data and Riker glancing between the view-screen and the ops panel. 'Confirmed sir. At present speed and course comet "Lone Wolf" will miss planet Gorham Four by nearly 30 kilometres.' Data reported

'At least that's some good news, wouldn't you agree sir.'

'Indeed Number one.'

'I feel I must point out,' Data brought up a schematic on his console. 'That any object with the size and density of "Lone Wolf" will produce a significant shift in a planet's gravity. By my calculations the tidal effects would devastate two fifths of the planet surface. May I also remind you that the colony is situated on the coast of the main land mass?'

'Yes Data. I am well aware of that. What I'm saying is that part of the job is done for us. Have you gotten any further with implementing Starfleet's plan?'

'Yes Captain. Commander LaForge is currently with an engineering team modifying the deflector dish to emit the repulse beam. Unfortunately it will take the full power of the warp engines running continuously for 5 hours, 6 minutes and 32 seconds to produce the required effect. The deflector dish will burn out 1.25 seconds after that time frame.'

'That doesn't leave much of a window. Have you recalculated the red line?' Picard queried. The plan was to push the comet out of the way. Nudging it just enough to knock it off course, but if they tried too late they couldn't change it enough to save the colony.

'Yes sir we have gained another 20 minutes. That gives us four hours until red line. Geordie should be ready by then but the will be no time to test the modifications and allow for a cool down.'

'In other words, Data, we'll have one chance and no guarantees that it will work at all.' Riker summed up.

'Yes Commander. That is exactly what I am saying

'We're cutting this mighty fine number one.'

'Yes sir. We are.'

* * *

Under the surface of the comet an ancient logic machine ran another calculation. Acknowledged that it was off course. Confirmed and then calculated what was required to correct the problem. That information was fed into the great mass drivers deep down inside. The collision course was re-plotted and the status hive was core scanned. All was functioning perfectly.

* * *

Guinean looked at the mass of rock and ice. Something was wrong about that "rouge comet", she could feel it in her gut. Watching the tail she could see it had changed course then she knew what it was.

'No. It can't be. They're gone.'

End teaser


	2. Chapter 1

Pandora's Comet  
Chapter 1.

Authors notes:-  
Technobabble. It effects every trek series like a cancer. Putting us to sleep and providing the answers to a lot of problems. Cybermen have always been creatures of technobabble, logic and mechanical efficiency. So much like the Borg (hint, hint). Federation crews look for technological solutions to problems, as the recent Doctor who has shown that's not the only answer. Hence this story and what is coming in the next chapter. Like writing a cold bucket of water thrown in someone's face!

* * *

Chapter 1

Guinean looked down at the necklace in her hand. Behind her the lift sped past however many sensors that were blissfully unaware they awoke one of the greatest horrors of the galaxy. The intricate symbols etched on the innocent looking piece of jewellery caught some hidden red light and glowed. Good, she thought, it still worked. That was her back up plan but she couldn't risk it with out trying something, anything, first. If "They" sent their expert in these matters... The turbo lift's doors opened to the bridge; 'Jean-Luc?'

'Guinean! What brings you up here?' You could count on one hand the times she had come to the bridge, each time the ship was five minuets from blowing up. Guinean hoped this alone was enough.

'We need to talk. It's about the comet.'

'Of course, I'll be in my ready room number one.' He didn't know what to make of this but the rest of the crew weren't far wrong with the guess:- "trouble". She followed Jean-Luc down the slope and to the ready room. Once inside she tried to sit down only to get restless and start pacing across the room. This was going to be difficult; centuries of hiding herself and her people's connection to... them. This situation brought them very close to that secret. 'What's wrong old friend?' he finally asked.

It was time to, as the humans say, bite the bullet. She looked out of the door sized window, remembering a simpler time. 'Back before my people learnt to travel space we were visited by strange race. Distantly related to us they were fiercely isolationist, yet still some of them were curious.' Guinean looked for that distant star she called home, she could still find it these days but she was facing the wrong way and it wasn't there in the blackness of space. 'They told us stories of the other races in the universe including one known only as the Cybermen.

'When the homeworld of the Cybermen was dying they fled to another buying a few short aeons before that world too extinguished. The destruction was catastrophic and it tore their new world apart. What was left were several isolated communities that survived in a form of suspended animation. Without inter-galactic ships or warp drive they had the rubble of their world converted into giant comets that were spread across the galaxies.' Guinean turned back to Jean-Luc hoping he understood. 'This is one of their hive-comets. You must destroy it now. Any moment you waste is a second closer to our destruction."

* * *

Hidden in a black ice cavern, deep under the surface of the comet, a highly sensitive device picked up a second deep scan. The scan could not penetrate the camouflage screens that hid the deeper caves where the crew slumbered, but they slept no longer. 

A security program deep in the core of the logic engine was activated by the device. Slowly the tri-fusion power core activated, trebling in output in jumps every three cycles. Protocols flickered down ancient data paths into the cyber-hives central hub. Frozen in the ice like a fly in amber two optical ports swivelled, cracking their way open. The Cyber-Controller was awake.

* * *

High above; Lieutenant Commander Data flickered across the readings, not noticing that they were too perfect. He quickly ran a diagnostic program on the console checking if the modifications to the deflector would affect the interface.

* * *

Picard looked at the eyes of his friend, she was scared. Even in the depths of the Borg attacks she could mask that feeling. Now, now was different 'Are you sure Guinean? If they are refugees then we should help them.' 

'Jean-Luc they are anything but refugees. The Cybermen obliterated whole races, annihilated whole systems that did not match their form of life. They are worse than the Borg and even more resilient. Destroy them now while you have the chance.'

'What makes them so dangerous?'

A far too familiar flash of light took over his chair; 'There's no point in trying to explain it to him. He just doesn't have the experience Guinean.'

'Q. What are you doing here?' she half growled at the lounging being.

'I was looking in on the neighbourhood. Imagine my surprise when I find CAPTAIN Picard shadowing one of the last Cyber-Arks. I thought you proved you were an intelligent race. I must have been wrong.'

With both his friend and his enemy telling him to tuck tail between his legs and run he was more than ready to bark, but there was more than that at stake. 'Q; I can't abandon the planet. If this is as dangerous as both of you say, which I have no doubt about, we have to do something. Can you help.'

Q spread his arms wide. 'Mortal matters Jean-Luc, I'm not allowed to interfere.'

'That's all you ever do Q! Interfere in mortal matters!'

'That was before, this is now. The Time War you lot slept through changed everything, it shattered cause and effect and left this reality adrift from the universe.'

'Time War?'

Guinean stepped between them; 'My peoples cousins, the ones who told us of the Cybermen, had certain technologies. They could travel through time as well as space but so could their enemies...'

'...and of course they both killed each other off.' Q jumped to his feet and walked around the desk. 'Have you ever seen a Time War Jean-Luc. Battles across the whole of time and space. Weapons that can rip the very fabric of time, deviation that swallowed whole worlds... The repercussions, the after effects...'

He turned back to them 'You're not aware of time are you Jean-Luc? You don't see it because you're too much a part of it. The Time Lords expelled us from time, they said our powers were not for our own amusements but to maintain order in the universe.' Q was actually ranting about this judgement of all the Q. 'Own amusement! See who's laughing now! All of them were killed when they caused their own sun to nova. Where's their order now huh.'

'And it is that lack of order that limits you now isn't it?' Picard guessed. He shed away from the idea anything had the power to deny the Q anything.

'Before you could nudge things. Play a little here and there while they kept the ripples in check. Now we have to police ourselves and my superiors in the Continuum don't like fixing ripples.' He admitted

Guinean grinned 'What a shame. The great Q reduced to policing that very thing they were thrown out of. The universe itself.' As she finished the lights in the room dimmed and flickered back to full.

Tapping his badge Picard called out; 'Data. The lights in my ready room just malfunctioned.'

'Yes sir, the event occurred ship wide. It was due to an intense sensor reflection from the comet's core.'

Picard frowned, Q inspected the gold model of the Stargazer and Guinean was clutching her necklace. 'Red alert, shields up. Mr Data pull us away from the comet.' He headed for the door. 'Now would be a good time for one of your ripples Q.'

* * *

At a distance not comfortably understood by human, or just about any other type of mind, a small light began blinking in an eye catching rhythm. Of course no one noticed it at first.

* * *

Will saw the Captain almost fly out of his ready room from the corner of his eye. 'You don't think it was a harmless sensor echo.' 

'Not a chance number one. Lets say we've had a visitor.'

'Aww Jean-Luc is that all I am?' Q barged out of the ready room with Guinean just behind him

'Q!' several members of the bridge crew jumped.

'Hold your horses mon ami this isn't me.'

Will felt more than saw something manifest, he span around. A shadow fell to his right and began glowing. Three more appeared around the bridge as Worf shouted 'Intruder alert!'

The shadows flickered and four identical silver men stepped out of them. They were wearing baggy silver jump suits, their joints surmounted with small balls. Behind Worf one of them fired at the science consoles, killing the crew men stationed there.

He and the Captain moved. He barged the nearest intruder into the wall, out of the way while Picard grabbed the gun.

* * *

Worf drew and fired his phaser on one of the attackers it had no effect. Another one grabbed him from behind, almost crushing his shoulder. Breaking the metal grip the Klingon warrior grabbed the metal man by the handle bars around its head. He hefted it over and dropped the whole thing across the tactical console that shattered in a fountain of sparks. Straining every muscle in his back Worf twisted and pulled, ripping its head off. 

The one he had fired at panned to him, bringing it's gun around. Worf's phaser, if it could have been any use, was smashed beneath the console. A set of blue pulse rings caught the machine on the chest, detonating something deep in the box like armour covering that part of it. The Captain had wrestled a blaster from the one he and Commander Riker took down.

* * *

Data pushed the console away and jumped at the machine man to his left. It's strength was formidable but it was still no stronger than him. Data plunged his fist into the chest components. White foam spilled out across his hand and it shook like a puppet in an earthquake before collapsing. Looking around he saw that the rest of the crew were dealing with the intruders and he took his post. Quickly reviewing the sensor logs he was tempted to run a self-diagnostic. How could he have been so foolish as to miss it, the records were identical, perfectly identical. Something should have changed even if it was only by a small amount. 

Halting the diagnostic program he ran another scan. The dampening field had collapsed, reviling the true scope of the comet. While most of it was ice something had dug deep into the rock core of it. In the centre fusion reactors powered a set of mass gravity drivers. Outside of that centre several caves held sets of status cambers. Those chambers were reactivating in small batches. 'Mr Worf. Damage report.' The Captain pulled some order back to the bridge.

'Tactical console destroyed. Transferring to science 2. One moment.'

'Mr Data?' Data reported what he had found.

'How did they get through our shields?'

'Unknown. As is their type of transporter sir.'

Lieutenant Worf called out from the science station; 'Captain, intruders reported in shuttle bays one and two, deflector control and main engineering. Casualties reported in all sectors.'

'Divert all security teams to those locations with phaser rifles set to full. Open haling frequencies to the comet.'

Data understood the Captain's reasons but did not hold out much hope. 'Channel open.' growled the lieutenant. He was just as happy as Data with the idea.

'This is Captain Picard of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Our scans show you can alter the course of your comet. You must do so immediately.'

'This is ... Cyber-Controller.' It was an audio only transmission. The voice on the other end came in quick metallic bursts. 'The Cyber-Hive will ... continue to the planet. The Cyber-Hive will ... awaken. You will ... not stop us. You are defenceless ... against us.'

'We are not defenceless and any attempts to attack us will be met with deadly force. We will stop you.'

'You will ... attempt. You will ... fail. All Cybermen will return ... to Ark-Hive. The ship is to be ... disabled and destroyed. Transmission ... ends.' The channel cut off in a burst of static.

'Captain! Reports on the intruders; they are vanishing from the ship.' Worf called out. Systems across the bridge then started to malfunction. 'Power surges from the warp core.'

'LaForge! What's going on down there?'

'Sorry Captain they took engineering before we could stop them. I lost three Crew members. They've taken the warp core off line and somethings eating away anti-matter containment bottles. We're looking at a matter/anti-matter reaction within the hour!'

* * *

On the other side of the universe a young human girl was looking at the flashing light. 'What is this thing.' 

'Hum?'

'This little light, what is it.'

'That thing? It's the emergency beacon, anyone with a transmitter needs help we pick it up and give them a hand.'

'And the flashing someone's in trouble?'

He moved around the central column flicking the odd switch here and there. 'If they're using that it means "help us we're all about to die".' The whole room suddenly lurched to one side throwing her into one of the beams. 'Banzi!' The Doctor kicked another control switch and the TARDIS rocketed though the vortex, scaring several particles of random matter into sentient life.

End chapter 1.


	3. Chapter 2

Pandora's Comet  
Chapter 2.

'Well looks it like you've got everything nicely out of control.' Q sat back into the Captain's chair. Data checked his helm controls. Something had disconnected the impulse drive manifold and the comet was gaining speed.

'Captain; I am unable to maintain impulse speeds.' That drew the captain's attention to him. 'Whatever is effecting the antimatter containment must be responsible. They are allowing the comet to gain distance on us.'

'Damn.'

'Sir, power to weapons has been disabled!' Worf shouted across the bridge.

'Mr Laforge!' he called to the roof.

His voce came back and the chief engineer sounded desperate 'I can't do anything sir. My whole staff are sealed on this side of the blast door and whatever is crippling the ship is doing it by hand.

'We have to do some thing; are they still in the blast range of a self-destruct?'

'Negative sir.' Data replied 'Even if they were it would require us to ram the comet at warp 6.798 or greater at the moment of detonation to have any real effect and the warp drive appears to be equally off line.'

'Face it Jean-Luc there is nothing you can do and as I said my hands are tied' Q put his wrists together like they were chained. 'Why are you clutching that relic Guinan? I told you there's no one left to...' he trailed off before jumping to his feet.

A sudden wind picked up across the bridge as it filled with a pale blue light. Between Data and the view screen a box like shape phased into existence bringing with it a distorted sound of grinding gears. He could make out the flashing light on the very top, pulsing like an ancient lighthouse before the whole thing fully appeared and the air became still again.

Pulling the spare tricorder from under his seat the lieutenant commander took readings of the latest new arrival.

The captain just held his head in his hands 'What now? Mr Data, report.'

'It appears to be a police phone box sir, from the mid-twentieth century. A primitive communications device for the use of law enforcement within the islands of Great Britain. Before portable systems became available.' he checked the readings again. 'In fact that's exactly what I am reading, composed of Earth woods and metals with an alternating electrical power source.'

The front of it opened and what looked to be a young human male stepped out. 'Mid twenty-fourth century. Galaxy class of the first human empire.' He looked at Data before stepping closer, a human woman stepped out of the box after him.

'Security to the bridge' Worf shouted pulling his phaser from beneath the crushed tactical console.

The man either didn't notice or care 'Ahh a Soong type android, only a handful ever made and a Klingon security officer. You must be Data, him Mr Worf, that makes this the Enterprise.' he looked past him to the command chair; 'and you are a Q.' the stranger said in a half humours, half deadly cold tone of voice.

Data looked down at the tricorder. 'Captain; he is not human.'

Guinan laughed; 'No Data, he's a Time Lord.'

'Guinan! It's been awhile, how's things been?' The Time Lord greeted her warmly, like an old friend. 'Last time we met I dropped you off in late 19th century America, How did you end up here?'

'The usual, caught a lift or two and got stuck in the Nexus for a couple of hundred years.' she laughed off the question

'Those pesky 9th dimensional rips. I knew a girl from the late 20th century once, she fell through one. Thought it was heaven, stupid woman, went on to become a general and save the world several times over.'

Data's tricorder was producing conflicting readings from the visitors. He was from a non-human bipedal species that was amazingly similar yet completely different to any other form of life in the Federation data base. Among numerous, seemingly random, differences in DNA and several organs that he could not identify the alien had dual circuitry system consisting of two hearts. An anomaly only seen in Elorians like Guinan.

While they had caught up with each other Q had sulked away from the intruder, trying to hide behind Commander Riker. The councillor had watched as he had shed away; 'You're terrified Q.' she half whispered in amazement.

He jumped in front of her 'Terrified I've no reason to be terrified,' the other intruder turned to him, 'I've done nothing wrong; I'm not interfering I'm just watching, not even that. I'm passing through. The events here caught my eye, I just wanted to help anyway I could... You believe me don't you Doctor?' His tone and the way Q's voice sped up indicated that he was not being earnest. A fact that was not lost on the captain who's demeanour suggested out right shock.

The strange intruder turned on the omnipotent being; 'We've met haven't we "Q". As I recall it was during you visit to Baltron. I promised to have a long talk with you if we ever met again.'

'I... I've never been to Baltron VI.' Q practically shouted in his defence.

'I never said it was Baltron VI.' the man smiled innocently, an action that had the opposite effect on Q 'But I doubt Guinan would call me over for somebody as petty as you Q.' Data was not reassured by the description of Q as petty.

Guinan stepped in at that point. 'Jean-Luc can explain better. Captain Picard; may I introduce the Doctor.'

'It's good to meet you. I would enjoy discussing many things with you but right now we need help. According to Guinan your people have heard of these Cybermen before can you...'

* * *

'Cybermen!', the Doctor had seen one of the destroyed Cybermen before but had decided to ignore it, he turned to Guinan. 'You could have said.' he scolded before seeing what Rose was doing,

Rose hadn't bothered to pretend not to see what was right in front of her and she had been investigating one of the fallen cyborgs. 'Doctor, they don't look much like the one's we saw.' she said as he knelt next to it. With his sonic screwdriver he scanned the damaged portion. X-ray laser damage; the Federation crew must have used the Cybermen's weapons against them when the found their own useless.

'Parallel dimensions Rose. Just because something is immutable fact in one doesn't make it any more real than fiction in the other. They'll head for the power core.' he jumped to his feet. 'You people still using matter/anti-matter drives?' He didn't have to ask but there was always a hope intelligence prevailed.

'Yes we are. Does your ship use a different form of energy?' the Android asked.

'Yes, I prefer it when my TARDIS does not explode at the drop of a neutron, thanks. Rose stay here, if something goes wrong get everyone in the TARDIS and set course for Earth.' The Doctor ran up the ramp and stood next to the Klingon who was still pointing the phaser at him.

'But...' she started

'I've shown you the controls and Guinan knows the co-ordinates.' Deftly he snatched and pocketed the phaser. Turning he headed to the turbolift; 'Don't move Q, I'll be back in a moment.' he shouted as the lift sped away to the engine core.

* * *

'Captain! He took my phaser.' 

'He can disarm a Klingon warrior without anyone noticing?' Will Riker asked Guinan. The first officer felt like he was loosing control of the situation, and would have bet his next ships' leave on Risa he wasn't the only one.

The captain held up a hand and tapped his comm badge 'Picard to Mr Laforge; A friend of Guinan's is on his way to help. I want a full report on his actions. Mr Worf is on his way.' The big Klingon nodded and ran to the under used lift at the front of the bridge and the captain nodded to the bar tender

Guinan had used the pause to walk up to the still unexplained box. 'The Doctor is a man of many talents, not all of them constant. He's a pacifist and a scholar, a philosopher and scientist; a wizard, a thief, a rebel and Lord President of the Time Lord high council. He has as many facets as a flawed Qubran seed crystal and is just as sharp.' she turned to the pretty young woman that had come with this "Doctor" 'So you're his new assistant?'

'That's what people tell me. I take it you travelled with him for a while too?'

'Oh no, just hitched a ride in this old thing.' She smiled at it while Data walked around it with his tricorder.

The captain on the other hand was busy with a different angle. 'Diana, is there anything you can tell me about our guests?'

'Q is obviously afraid of this Doctor. I would say with good reason from Guinan's feelings in the matter.'

'What did you sense from him though?'

'Your uncertain about him sir, you respect the fear he puts into Q but you are worried why.' she looked at the Captain for a moment as one of his eyebrow's did a fair impression of a Vulcan. She stopped and looked at the floor. 'He has strong defences captain. My empathic abilities were... deflected is the best word for it. My attention was bounced to yourself and Q, away from him and his companion.'

'And now?'

'It's still there. There's nothing I can do.'

The young companion tapped on his shoulder 'You could just ask you know.' she said indignantly.

'Yes your right, I apologise for my rudeness. I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise.'

'Rose Tyler, Powel estate, Earth.' she smiled back at him.

'Earth?' Will exclaimed; 'How did you end up travelling with an unknown species in a 20th century wooden box?'

She made a strange face; 'It's called a TARDIS. I don't really know what that means but it can travel through space and time.'

Will looked between her and the box Data had been examining. 'How can a wooden box do that?' he said before realising Data had vanished.

* * *

Geordi pulled the emergency lever, the bolts blew and the magnetic locks flicked off. Only for a moment though, then the blast doors were electrified and the seals dropped like an anvil. 'Damn.' he pounded on the door only to get a nasty shock from the emergency force field. 

Barclay called over from the main console; 'They've activated the atmospheric shields, the computer thinks there's a hull breach on the other side.'

'That's good to know, that means there either is a hull breach or they've got control of your computer.' A strange man entered the room like a tornado, his long brown coat went one way, he went another; 'Take care of that will you.' he asked the ensign who had caught the coat. 'Right then, I'm the Doctor and I'm here to help. What happened?' he asked the room while opening the front of a hand phaser over the diagnosis table.

Geordi tried to shake some feeling back into his hand; 'Our shields were up, somehow they beamed aboard and killed three men before we knew what was happening. I was on this side of the blast doors when they closed them. We've lost internal sensors and the magnetic containment bottles are slowly being breached.'

He blinked. 'Great. So they have a working trans-mat, a grasp of rush tactics _and_ your computer controls. You're still using gold in your wiring right.' he put the phaser down and pulled a short tube from his jacket.

'Yes.' how did this guy know so much about the Enterprise's wiring?

'Replicated gold though, that will only slow them down. When will you people learn.' Geordi's visor picked up a strange disturbance coming from the tube aimed at the weapons inner workings. Worf then entered with his short sword in hand, a knife tucked in his sash and a black look directed at this strange friend of Guinan's. 'Ahh there you are big feller, I need to borrow this.' The Doctor pointed at the scattered phaser components.

Worf growled, clutching his mek'leth tightly.

Geordi got the distinct impression that was not something he wanted to know about, anyway there was something else bothering him; 'What did you mean by "when will we learn"?'

The Doctor put on a pair of thick rimmed ancient spectacles. 'Natural gold is endomagnetic, it absorbs and neutralises magnetism. The Cybermen's technology can't handle it and they blow up.' he started putting the phaser back together, using the device as a spot welding tool. 'Replicators can't do that, they end up producing something entirely, but not quite, unlike... anything you want really.' He stepped up to the blast doors and pointed the completed phaser at the force field. 'Sort of like trying to get drunk of synthahol, a big waste of time.'

The Doctor smiled and fired his phaser. Instead of a beam the whole force field warped and bent towards the phaser until it was sucked into it with a sharp bang. 'Now on to the doors.' Throwing the smoking phaser away he ran the device across the door's seems. 'Dead bolt seals, wonderful. I don't suppose at any point in the design process you thought of a way to open it from this side.'

'N.. no...not when the atmosphere safety protocols are engaged. Only when the computer reads positive atmosphere inside the warp core room, will it realise the locks.' Barclay stammered to the man.

He whipped his glasses off; '24th century mentalities, prepare for the absolute worst possibilities imaginable but oh look you trip over you're own shoelaces when the going gets a little rough.' he ran the tube across one of the near by screens and it cracked with interference. 'There.' he bent down and the tube blasted a panel from the wall. Worf backed off as the panel bounced next to him.

Geordi knelt with the Doctor. 'What is that thing?' for some reason the strange man was accessing deflector control

He was pulling out processor chips and it looked like he was reprogramming the odd one or two with it, scattering them across the floor. 'Sonic screwdriver.'

'How does that work then?'

He snapped two chips in half and mixed the four halves. 'It works very well thanks, hold these.' Geordi was holding two uneven halves, the Doctor pointed the screwdriver at the join fusing the two together.

'That's impossible!'

'Impossible is a big word for something that makes you comfortable and complacent in you're little life. Nothing is impossible, only incredibly unlikely and against the natural law of the universe.' he bit the sonic device and started rearranging the chips at warp speed by hand.

Reg glanced at the report on the magnetic bottles. 'Good God! SIR!'

'What is it Reg?'

'The Antimatter containment is down to twenty two percent.'

The Doctor looked up from his work, spitting out the screwdiver; 'In other words:- were dead.'

End Chapter 2


	4. Chapter 3

Pandora's Comet  
Chapter 3.

Authors note:-  
I know this takes a while between chapters but there is a reason. I've got more than one story running at the moment and I'm still brisling with ideas. All this is getting to be a full time job, and I already have one of those!

* * *

Data had completely scanned the wooden police box and that was all it was. No drive system, no power source despite the lights and energy signature, no transporter or subspace trace. According to every reading possible this box had existed in the exact same place on the bridge for longer the Enterprise had been built. He noticed the door was open and decided to scan the inside for clues.

There were not many clues inside, only more questions. First of all it was not made of wood. The metal was a form of composite; carbon, silicon and calcium bonded with mostly copper and gold in an organic structure. If he had to guess Data would say it was incredibly resilient and had the ability to self repair.

He looked up. The copper wall in front of him curved.

And curved.

For the first time Data looked around at the impossibility. Quite simply the facts neither made sense or fit within the realm of relative physics.

Before his positronic net finished calculating the problem it was interrupted; 'Data! Where are you?' it was Commander Riker on the comm badge.

He walked up to the central column. 'I am onboard the Doctor's ship, it will require some time to analyse the controls.' A great bell rung dully somewhere high above and one of the monitors spun round to face him. It displayed his schematics in a Da Vinci sketch. As he took a scan of the console the circle surrounding the famous drawing span down and moved from point to point. Little dents appeared in the circle and information scrolled across the other side of the screen. Data watched for a time before hypothesising it was doing the same as he was.

'What have you found?' the commander asked.

Data watched the circle focus on his badge as he answered; "Commander Riker, I am on board the ship. I believe an advanced intelligence is in control of the vehicle.'

'Data; the computer say's your still on the bridge.'

'I do not understand how that is possible commander. A structure of this scale could not fit within the bridge, let alone the wooden box. I believe I passed through a tightly controlled aperture in space time, focused on the doorway.'

'No Data, according to ships sensors you are still here.'

'Evidently the Doctor's people are a highly developed race. I will attempt to access the vehicles information archive.' Data looked at the controls, there was no logical pattern or structure to them. He tried to set up a remote link with this tricorder but was doubtful of his possible success.

When the small device exploded 1.276 seconds after making contact Data suspected he had made a mistake. Dropping the charred box he watched the screen scroll with more alien text 'I have failed, Commander, however I do not believe it was a security measure. Contact was established but the tricorder was unable to contain the information presented.' Data saw the text shift and become English. 'One moment Commander.' Checking his systems he found a query lodged deep within his neural net; 'I believe I have made contact commander. Accessing...'

* * *

Reg tried to follow what the strange visitor was doing with the deflector dish but it was hopeless. This "Doctor" had no pattern to what he was doing, or how. If he was going to guess Reg would have said the man was deliberately obscuring it all. The Doctor threw his spectacles to Ensign Brambly, who was still busy trying to fold the guy's coat.

'Good now time for the difficult bit.' He glanced at Reg; 'Tie in the transporter's materialisation circuit to the deep range sensors. Lieutenant Commander get me the range and direction of the nearest solar body.'

'What are we doing?' he had to ask.

'It's quite simple really. A transmat beam punches through subspace, leaving a footprint; if you know what your looking for. Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow and you reverse the beam, then all I have to do is time the deflector pulse to fire at the moment the transmat beam enters subspace and I bounce the Cybermen into the sun. Job done in time for tea.'

The engineering crew stopped for a moment as they figured the plan out. 'You would have to shift the deflector pulse into subspace. It would be like threading the eye of a needle on a dart board half a light year away.' Mr Laforge gasped.

'Et viola!' The stranger grinned as the screens changed. 'Now for the magnetic bottles, you:-...'

'Me?' Reg gasped.

'No, the other specialist engineer standing by the main console. What is the frequency of polar shift in the magnetic bottles?'

'35.4 per second.'

'Good.' The Doctor looked to the ceiling, muttering to himself; 'Carry the 9, allow for disruption and pulse differential...'

'What is he doing?' Mr Worf asked Geordi.

'I don't know.'

Snapping his fingers the strange man shouted; 'ah ha! A frequency of 1.5 cubed terahertz on a bi-polar shift should do the job. Here we go...' He tapped the controls...

Reg guessed what he had just done...

All the lights on the ship died...

* * *

As the light's died the top of the blue box lit up and oddly the bridge filled with a golden glow. 'I'll find out what's going on.' Number One ran for the Engineering console that was flickering

'Mr Data respond!' Picard shouted into his badge moments before the yellow skinned commander exited the blue box. But something was different. Data's pail yellow was now a deep golden bronze that matched the glow.

'The TARDIS has communicated all necessary information, sir.'

Looking to his first officer Picard gave him the first question 'What is it Data?'

The Commander tilted his head almost as if he was looking at a table of information; 'TARDIS. An acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. This was the prototype for the type 40 model. Grown from engineered corral, a TARDIS is an ever expanding life form created to explore and travel the time vortex.'

'Time Vortex?'

'The Time Vortex was created by the Time Lords. It is what binds time and space together as one. To travel through this energy envelope bypasses the laws of time and space.'

'So this ship is not governed by any of the laws of of physics.'

'Correct.'

'And that's why it looks like a Blue box'

This time Data looked to he far left. 'No sir. All TARDIS craft are equipped with a chameleon circuit. This system automatically adapts itself according to the environment, world and time of it's landing. An SEP field then distracts people from investigating further.'

'SEP?'

'Someone Else's Problem. Through neural induction and aura infusion anyone curious about the TARDIS will simply leave it alone. They believe it is not anything to do with them, that is why I alone investigated it. The TARDIS was curious and isolated me from the field.'

'You talk as if it's alive.'

Guinean and Rose answered at the same time 'It is.'

'That is correct captain. The TARDIS achieved conscious thought 200 years after construction began. As it was the prototype it was relived and put into a museum shortly after.' Data stopped and walked up the ramp to one of the science stations.

'Mr Data?'

'My positronic net has been directly linked to the TARDIS telepathic interface. Computer access requested.'

'Whatever the Doctors done in engineering killed all but life support power.' Riker explained as Data touched the screen.

* * *

'Yes!' he shouted in the darkness

Geordi watched the Doctor in the half light from his sonic device. 'You cut power to all but the life support and the grav plating!'

'I know. For some reason all the sensor logs and computer records of my modifications have been erased by the power surge. Speaking of...' he pointed the device at the panel he had worked on and it exploded in a shower of sparks. 'You've got to be careful with the power on these old ships you never know when they could surge.' As the sparks fell the lights came back up.

'You destroyed it!' Reg shouted.

'Yes, the technology for a stable transmat is at least two thousand years ahead of this junk. The subspace pulse another hundred or so. I will not allow you that sort of leap in technology.' he stood in front of the blast doors. 'But there was another reason for the power cut. The magnetic locks.'

'You cut them, Now we can open the doors!' Reg jumped

'Why would we want the doors to open when there is no atmosphere on the other-side. Hum?' The strange Doctor shook his head and looked to poor Ensign Brambly who had finally finished juggling glasses and coat.

'What?' the Ensign asked, baffled.

The chief engineer sighed as the Doctor lazily pointed is magic wand at the life support console Brambly was standing next to. The flashing red section that was the main core room bleeped and went green. 'Oh'

As the Doctor rolled his eyes Geordi slapped the door controls and the massive blast door finally rose into the roof. 'Awe! No!'

Engineering was a complete loss. Consoles smashed, the crystal frame hanging out of the reactor housing. 'Captain,' he spoke into his comm badge. 'The warp core is shot to hell and the room isn't any better. We won't have warp power for at least a week, two maybe three without a starbase.'

* * *

'Which is exactly what we'll be without warp power Mister Laforge. Can the Doctor help?' Picard glanced at Data his hand on the LCARS of science one.

'Doctor? Captain he's vanished.'

The blond girl smiled. 'He's coming back up. Don't worry.' Guinan, who had been trying to melt into the background in the midst of the all the chaos, nodded in agreement.

'Looks like your on your own Geordi. We're almost out of time.' The view screen flickered but it still showed the massive comet on its collision course with the planet. It was getting too close for them to stop it in time.

Suddenly a thud echoed across the bridge. 'DATA!' Riker shouted.

The captain turned to look in time to see the android sit up like a ram rod. 'A fascinating experience. The TARDIS has access to all the knowledge in the universe, across time itself. Yet still it has the personality of a child. Perhaps with further...'

'No Data. Right now I need you boost the Subspace radio.' Picard knew there was something far more important. 'We need to warn the planet that this is an invasion. Then contact Starfleet, the reinforcements have no idea what they are up against.' The turbolift doors opened. 'Perhaps you could help us with that Doctor?'

'With what?'

'The Cybermen invasion of Gorham Four.'

A sudden change came over the Doctor. Gone was the scattering scientist, or the jovial old friend. It was like a cold wind blown across the ship, with the chill of space. 'How many people?'

'Seven million.' He answered without thinking. There was no reaction, he only slowly walked down the ramp and across the bridge.

'Doctor?' Miss Tyler asked in whisper between fear and awe.

He opened a panel on the front of the blue box. Behind it was a old style telephone, he dialled a number in it with a short tube.

The strange ship began to glow, its discordant sound of grounding gears echoing behind picards eyes. But nothing else, no fadeing way or vanishing trick.

'Captain; the comet!' The councillor pointed to the screen. In the middle distance the chunk of ice and gas faded in and out of existence. 'What's happened to it?' As the final cord echoed across the Enterprise the comet went back to solid and just vanished.

'That should deal with that.' The Doctor closed the panel before it opened again and burped.

End chapter 3


	5. Epilogue

Pandora's Comet.  
Epilogue

'Now for you.' the Doctor turned to Q. Your people refused to have anything to do with the order of the universe. They have the intelligence not to anger the Time Lords, unlike you. I've had enough off your meddling Q. If I find you have had anything more to do with these people or this universe I will not be pleased.'

'I understand.' Q grumbled, 'I'll leave right now...'

'No you won't. I imprison you for a thousand years Q. Trapped in this.' He pulled out a small marble from his coat pocket, it was perfectly clear 'you won't be able to escape.'

Panicking Q backed away from the now advancing Time Lord, while his face was twisted in fear the Doctor's was set in a grim mask. 'No, no! You can't!' The infinitely powerful being cringed from the bead of glass. With an angry shout Q clicked his fingers and vanished in a familiar flash of light.

'Sorry Q.' the Doctor turned the marble in his fingers. The once clear glass bauble was now frosted, a bright white scar ran through the centre like a cat's eye. 'The ultimate prison. Trapped for a thousand years always looking out but unable to effect anything.' He looked to Picard. 'Don't worry, I'll drop him off on some planet. Maybe in the Situ system, it will brake eventually and he'll be free again. Eventually.'

'Q can travel in time.' Data reminded everyone.

The Time Lord smiled. 'Yes but not until after he's finished his sentence. Paradox. Taking any action in your own time line can cause the catastrophic destruction of the universe. Q will kill himself and everyone else if he interferes.' He threw the prison to his young assistant. 'So everything's sorted around here. Time we were off Rose.' He jumped to his blue box. This alien changed gears on people faster than warp six.

Picard opened his mouth, he wanted to say "Thank you," and "Please stay, we can learn so much from each other" but what came out was; 'What the hell happened to the comet?'

The Doctor rubbed his chin, trying to hide a smile. Once again this strange man was the comedian and his eyes sparkled with child like amusement; 'The TARDIS ate it. You see like you can convert energy into matter so can my TARDIS, we needed a refuel anyway.' he shrugged.

Riker's eyes widened to the point where he looked like just a beard with eyes. 'You can convert that much matter?' Picard thought his Number One had a point. It would be possible to teleport chunks of the comet into deep space but the power requirements were enormous and it would take almost a year. The Doctor had done it in a few seconds.

'And engineering? I thought the magnetic containment bottles were about to collapse?' Picard asked.

'They were. I just modulated the defector pulse I used to destroy the Cybermen to the inverse of the bottle's frequency. It folded the containment field on itself quadrupling it's remaining strength. Simple. Any old idiot could have realised that.'

Miss Tyler poked him in the arm to get his attention, then shook her head slightly.

'If the idiot had almost a thousand years of practice that is... Sorry.' the Doctor shrugged before he and his assistant went inside his craft. just after the door closed it opened again and he said to Guinean; 'Well I won't see you again old friend. This is a redundant time line and the barriers are closing.'

'Then goodbye Doctor, good luck.' She smiled sadly to him, stepping back into the centre of the bridge. The alien looked around the bridge one last time before going back inside and the box vanished with its now familiar discordant grinding gears.

* * *

Deep inside a hollowed out asteroid in the sol belt a middle aged man taped on his PADD. A hundred years ago the rock had been mined out and abandoned, it's life support and outdated power generator left behind. Section 31 had moved in a week later. Never more than a dozen men knew that the section existed. That included those that were part of it. This little rock, lost in the asteroid belt was so secret that only two of those people knew about it. One, Commander Sloan, rubbed at his three day old stubble. Of course he had intercepted Captain Picard's log on what had happened.

Looking up the second person who knew about his place walked in. He never announced his visits and the station's sensors were useless. Long ago Section 31, then known as the Torchwood institute, had cracked long range teleport technology and used it instead of ships to travel within solar systems. 'See you got the log' the other man said as he sat down.

'I did. You said he could never come here.'

Jack Harkness threw his feet on the table; 'I said he shouldn't, but the rules never meant much to the Doctor.'

* * *

'What did you mean by you couldn't return?' Rose asked after they dropped off the marble prison thing.

The Doctor rubbed the back of his head. Well this isn't really our universe, it was part of it once but around the 1960's it suffered a great leap in technology. It was something to do with time travel; they called it a temporal war. It cracked their timeline off like an ice-shelf braking away from the Arctic. An alternate dimension floating in the void. It was during our time war and we were sworn never to interfere in others so the Time Lords let it happen. Your future is what it should have been.'

Rose let that roll around in her mind. During her travels with the Doctor she had learnt more than she ever did at school and could now almost understand what he was saying. 'And now travel between dimensions is impossible.'

'Exactly, the distress beacon slipped through a crack in reality. Now that we're done here we have to go back and close it. This "universe" is out of bounds.'

Rose knew he was leaving his friend behind, Guinean had told her how she was from a cousin race to the Doctors people and she knew how alone he was. 'I'm sorry...'

'Well onwards and upwards; like I always say.' the Doctor beamed a lunatics smile as he hit the little bell on the main control column.

That confused Rose; 'What? When do you say that?'

'Just then.'

End Pandora's comet


End file.
